We'll 'set the bar high' on Ring of Fire environment assessment, First Nation chief says

Ontario government has described the Ring of Fire as one of the 'most promising' regions for developing critical minerals

Indigenous groups who support building an all-season pathway into Ontario’s mineral-rich Ring of Fire region say they hope to allay concerns of neighbouring First Nations by conducting strong environmental assessments (EA).

The First Nations of Marten Falls and Webequie are currently conducting EAs for three proposed roads that would provide access to the region situated in northern Ontario’s James Bay Lowlands, about 500 kilometres from Thunder Bay.

The EA will keep in mind the “respect of our First Nation neighbours,” Marten Falls Chief Bruce Achneepineskum said at a panel discussion at the Indigenous Led Projects Forum in Toronto. “We will ensure that we capture their concerns … we capture their obligations … not only doing the bare minimum that the EA act requires, but doing more.”

He added that they hope to “set the bar high. I can relate to the rights that we carry as a First Nation and our First Nation neighbours carry, it’s something that’s the basis of our existence, the basis of our culture and our lives.”

The Ontario government has described the Ring of Fire as one of the “most promising” regions for developing critical minerals in the province. It said the area, which covers about 5,000 square kilometres, has “multi-generational potential” for minerals such as nickel and copper that are currently in high demand as countries try to shift away from fossil fuels.

By building better roads in the region, the province hopes to connect the Ring of Fire with manufacturing sectors in the south and become a “leading producer” of the critical minerals needed for electric vehicles, the demand for which has risen in recent years.

But not all First Nations located in the area support Ontario’s plans. In 2021, Neskantaga, Attawapiskat and Fort Albany declared a moratorium on any kind of development in the Ring of Fire area to prevent getting “seriously and permanently desecrated” by massive-scale mining.

“I have no doubt that they are going to try to do the EAs really well, but EAs in Canada are fundamentally flawed when it comes to assessing cumulative effects,” said Kate Kempton, a lawyer who represents a number of First Nations in the region, including Attawapiskat.

She said a number of First Nations are trying to strike a deal with the federal government to enforce a regional cumulative assessment process, which would provide a clearer picture of the impacts of full-scale development. She added she was hopeful the First Nations would come to an agreement on the regional assessment policy.

Of the three roads, the EA for Webequie’s supply road is likely to be completed first, followed by Marten Falls’ community access road, and then the northern road link, which both of those First Nations are working on together.

Construction of Webequie’s supply road is expected to take about three to five years after all the permits are received.

In April, Australian billionaire Andrew Forrest’s Wyloo Metals Pty Ltd. bought Noront Resources Ltd. to acquire the Eagle’s Nest nickel-copper deposit in the Ring of Fire, beating mining giant BHP Group Ltd. in a battle that lasted for months.

On Tuesday, Wyloo renamed Noront as Ring of Fire Metals, which was done to “pay homage” to the project’s Canadian roots.

“Eagle’s Nest is one of the highest-grade nickel-copper-platinum-palladium deposits in the world, and we’re also very excited about the potential of our other mineral opportunities across the Ring of Fire region,” Stephen Flewelling, acting chief executive of Ring of Fire Metals said in a press release.

“We are currently drilling to gather detailed structural data at Eagle’s Nest so we can finalize infrastructure planning for the mine’s development.”